Astell&Kern has introduced a new portable hi-res player inspired by the company’s AK120 from 2013.

Astell&Kern’s craftsmanship and industrial design are combined in a steel body that’s the right size for one-handed operation, the 4.1-inch 720×1280 touchscreen, side control buttons and volume wheel are all easily accessible. The volume wheel protector has been made to reveal the LED lighting as music starts playing, with the light reflecting off the knurled pattern of the volume wheel and changing in colour to indicate playback information.

Dual DACs

The SA700 uses a Dual DAC system, comprised of two AKM AK4492ECB DACs. The player features bit-to-bit playback up to 32-bit, 384KHz and native DSD playback up to 11.2MHz.

Balanced & Unbalanced Outputs

For flexibility with partnering headphones, both balanced (2.5mm) and unbalanced (3.5mm) outputs are provided, and Bluetooth aptX HD allows for wireless streaming. The built-in 128GB of storage can be expanded by an additional 512GB through a microSD card slot, while charging is achieved via USB-C.

Price & Availability

The Astell&Kern SA700 retails at £1295/$1299. It is available in two luxury finishes: Onyx Black and Stainless Steel.

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